Voyage of Dumont d'Urville 1826-1829
From New Zealand, d’Urville sailed north into the Pacific to the island of Tongatapu, in the Tonga Islands east of Fiji, which he mapped in detail. While he was there, he interviewed the inhabitants about any traces of the ships of La Pérouse. It happened that before d’Urville had embarked on this voyage in 1826, there were news reports of "the recent discovery of traces of LaPérouse, made by a whaling captain [Peter Dillon] on the islands between New Caledonia and the Louisiade Archipelago."	Interior view of the house of the women of Chief Palou, Tonga-Tabou from Voyage de la Corvette l’Astrolabe… Pendant les Années 1826-1829: Paris: J. Tastu, 1830-1834.
Dumont d'Urville was asked by the Admiralty to attempt to confirm the news reports of the discovery of the ships of La Pérouse. Though Tongatapu was east of the reported area, d’Urville made inquiries during his stay there. He met a woman of rank who remembered seeing the ships anchored at the port of Anamoka. This important information helped to reconstruct the final route of the lost ships out of Botany Bay.
D'Urville: Page 4 of 8.	back   next